Caroline De Brun posted:
> Hi all, The following paper has just been published, and although aimed at social science and research, the lessons do apply to evidence based health...
> Author: Gomersall, Alan
> Source: Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, Volume 3, Number 2, May 2007 , pp. 301-308(8)
> Publisher: Policy Press
Seems to indicate that the more things change, the more they stay the same! About 10 years ago, findings within the health sector also suggested a need for teaching better approaches to literature searching. The value of searching is suggested by Klein et al. -
PARADIGM Database Search, 2007/08/20:
-----------------------------------------------
Klein MS, Ross FV, Adams DL, et al.
Effect of Online Literature Searching on Length of Stay and
Patient Care Costs
ACADEMIC MEDICINE 1994;69(6):489-95
Despite important limitations, which are covered in the
discussion, this case-referent study in three teaching hospitals
demonstrates significant savings in length of stay and in cost
per case for 19 DRGs associated with a physician-requested
MEDLINE search performed by a medical librarian. Searches done
earlier were associated with lower cost and length of stay than
those done later.
----- Copyright Applied Epidemiology -----
When it was still being published, a review enlisted for CLINICAL PERFORMANCE & QUALITY HEALTH CARE described a much more effective way to approach literature searching than the approach usually taken by health care professionals. In "Where's the Evidence? How to Find Clinical-Effectiveness Information" (Clinical Performance and Quality Health Care 1998;6(1):44-48), Julie Glanville describes a "cascade" approach to make the most efficient use of literature archive indices.
David.
--
David Birnbaum, PhD, MPH
Adjunct Professor
School of Nursing
University of British Columbia
Principal, Applied Epidemiology
British Columbia, Canada
|